Sony Ericsson pins hopes on Windows Mobile

Ian Grayson
Monday, 11 February 2008 11:05

IT Industry - Strategy

The touch-screen device, dubbed the X1, is the first in a new range of windows devices that the company hopes will help it snare more than 10 per cent of the global handset market. Sony Ericsson is currently in fifth place behind Nokia with around 9 per cent of total sales.  

At a launch event ahead of the Mobile World Conference taking place in Barcelona this week, the company showed a prototype of the device which it says will begin shipping late this year.

Speaking with IT Wire, Sony Ericsson chief technology officer Mats Lindoff said Windows Mobile was a logical choice for a high-end smartphone.

“It allows you to work closely with the PC when it comes to synchronising your data,” he said. “There is also a large community of application developers that we will be working with.

Lindoff says Sony Ericsson will be releasing an SDK (Software Development Kit) for developers shortly and working with them to create a range of applications for the new device and other models that will following during coming months.

Microsoft  has enjoyed some success in luring new handset makers to its mobile operating system. Last year LG began shipping handsets and the year before Palm made a similar decision.

According to industry research firm Canalys, in the last quarter of 2007, Windows Mobile had 12 per cent of the smartphone market. At the same point rival Symbian had a 65 per cent share. In the Asia-pacific the divide is even more marked with Symbian claiming 85 per cent.

Microsoft has a goal of aggressively growing its share of the handheld device market, determined to move away from its traditional reliance on desktop and server-based software.

Microsoft’s director of marketing for Microsoft’s mobile communications business, John Starkweather, says  his company is now working with four of the top five handset vendors - Samsung, Motorola, LG and now Sony Ericsson.